


i don't wanna be your friend, i just wanna be your lover

by sopaloma



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-06 11:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11599917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sopaloma/pseuds/sopaloma
Summary: "Hey, Jug," she says softly, raising her hand in a little wave.He stubs his cigarette out in the ashtray at his feet and stands, but doesn't come any closer.He's still frowning. "What are you doing here?""I thought I'd come see you, catch up. We haven't spoken in a while."The frown deepens. "It's been eight years, Betty."AU - Betty spends a long weekend with Jughead.





	1. friday

**Author's Note:**

> title from Radiohead, "House of Cards"
> 
> Canon divergence following 1x13. 
> 
> I don't think I've read about tatted-up Jug anywhere else (or I have and don't remember) and I think tattoos and gangs kind of go hand-in-hand. I also couldn't get this idea out of my head once I thought of it, so here ya go! Juggie with tatts.

She's not entirely sure what she's doing here. It's an impulsive, possibly stupid, move but she's here now and she can't turn back.

She parks next to the trailer and just watches him from her car for a few minutes. He's sat on the steps leading up to the door, a cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee beside him. He definitely looks older - more muscular, filled-out, with a number of tattoos covering his arms and his hands.

He's still gorgeous, but he's different now, and this is starting to feel like a huge mistake.

He hadn't looked up when she pulled into the park - he probably assumed it was a visitor for one of his neighbors - and he doesn't notice she's there until her heels begin to clack against the concrete leading to his trailer.

His brow furrows when he looks up at her, his mouth slightly open.

" _Betty?_ "

"Hey, Jug," she says softly, raising her hand in a little wave.

He stubs his cigarette out in the ashtray at his feet and stands, but doesn't come any closer.

He's still frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come see you, catch up. We haven't spoken in a while."

The frown deepens. "It's been eight years, Betty."

She buries her hands into the pockets of her coat and gives him an uneasy smile. "So are you gonna invite me in?"

The frown disappears at her question and he pulls himself together.

"Yeah... okay. Come on in." He jerks his head in the direction of the door.

The trailer looks nicer than it did when they were teenagers. All of the furniture has been replaced by more expensive items and there's a new carpet on the floor. It looks nice, cosy.

There's an old sheepdog stretched out next to the coffee table in the living area and despite his age, he bounds over to Betty, excited at the entrance of someone unfamiliar. She vaguely recognizes the dog from the night of the Jubilee all those years ago but she can't remember his name.

She crouches down to his level to scratch him behind the ears. "Hey, boy."

"Hot Dog, go eat your food," Jughead commands as the dog starts to lick at her face.

"He's cute," she comments as she stands.

"He's becoming senile in his old age but he's still adorable," Jughead says with a fond smile. "I took him in a few years back. Best decision I ever made."

Betty smiles and takes a seat at the small table in the kitchen.

"Coffee?" he asks.

"Please."

He pours a cup for her and one for himself.

"Do you still take sugar?"

She smiles at the familiarity. "Just one."

He drops the cube in and stirs it quickly before placing it on the table and taking a seat in front of her.

"Thanks."

She takes a sip and it's quiet in the kitchen, the only sound coming from Hot Dog as he moves his food around the metal dog bowl. She can feel his eyes on her but she's not sure what to say.

"What _are_ you doing here, Betty?"

She places the cup down and licks her lips, forces herself to meet his eye.

"Getting straight into it, huh?" she says with a little laugh but it falls flat. She says quieter, "I just really needed to see you."

"Why? Why now?" he asks. His tone isn't unkind but she still feels defensive, like they're about to have a fight.

"I've got... I've got a big decision to make. I've been struggling to make my mind up for days now and I kept thinking about you, and how you always did everything so carefully and held so much conviction in your decisions. And then I realized I didn't want to talk to Veronica or Archie or any of my other friends." She sighs. "I only wanted to talk to you."

He rubs his hand across his jaw. "Look, I'm not about the send you out the door, but I've got to be honest - I really don't understand this."

"I don't understand it either," she admits. "I had a day off work and I started driving to clear my head and before I knew it I was in Riverdale."

His face is impassive and she wonders if she's incapable of reading him anymore or if he's just better at hiding his emotions.

"Where are you living now?"

It's been a long time since they last spoke at their high school graduation. They had make some promises to keep in touch but other than a few emails over the summer that had never really happened. By the time she started college all communication between them had ended and now they knew very little about each other. She had only known that he still lived in Riverdale because Archie had mentioned it in passing.

"In New York. Brooklyn, to be exact. Bushwick."

He raises his eyebrows. "Very hipster."

She snorts. "Not really. They're definitely there but I'm not one of them. I just happened to find an affordable apartment there."

He nods. "That makes sense. Can't really picture you in a flannel, Betty."

Her face feels hot as she replies, "I wore one of yours one or twice."

He clears his throat. "Yeah, well, that was a long time ago." He takes a sip of his coffee. "What are you doing for work?"

"I'm an assistant for the editor of a lifestyle magazine. It's not very well known at the moment but it's becoming more popular and I'm hoping I can get a job writing for them before they blow up."

He smiles at her and it's sincere. "That's cool. I always thought you'd get into journalism."

She appreciates that but she doesn't want to talk about her job.

"What are you doing? Where are you working?"

He shrugs. "Nothing special. I work as a mechanic most of the week and do the occasional shift in the Whyte Wyrm on the weekends. I also freelance for some small crime magazines when I have the time."

"Really? That's great! You always had an ear for that kind of thing."

She doesn't comment on his working at the Serpent's bar. She wants to ask if he's still involved but it's too soon.

"Thanks. It's not serious or anything, but I enjoy it," he responds, then asks, "How did you find me?"

"I called Archie," she admits. "He said you were living in FP's old trailer."

He shakes his head in amusement. "I really should tell him not to give my personal information out like that. It could get me into trouble."

She rolls her eyes. "It's only me, Juggie."

She freezes up at the use of her old nickname for him and the slight smile drops from his face.

"Are you hungry?" he asks suddenly, clearly trying to shift the mood.

She nods. "I could eat."

"We could go to Pop's. The burgers are still as good as they were eight years ago."

"I'd love to," she tells him with a smile, but it soon falters. "But I don't want to risk running into my parents. They don't know I'm in town and I'd rather keep it that way."

"There's a diner in Greendale," he suggests. "It's not as good as Pop's but the milkshakes are great."

"That sounds good. Do you wanna go now?"

"Yeah, but we'll have to take your car. I only have my bike."

The bike, another sign that he's possibly still involved with the Serpents. The desire to ask him if he's still part of the gang is nagging at her but she stops herself. Maybe later.

 

 

 

The diner looks similar to Pop's - tiled floor, padded booths, a neon sign outside. It definitely doesn't have the charm of Pop's - that all comes from the man himself - but it still makes her feel nostalgic for her teenage years.

They pick a booth by the window and sit across from each other, perusing the menu. They both order a cheeseburger and milkshakes, and when she's presented with the vanilla shake she feels sixteen all over again, on a date with her boyfriend as they play footsy underneath the table.

Only he isn't her boyfriend anymore and his posture is stiff and uncomfortable. Her arrival is clearly still bothering him.

"No beanie?"

His lips lift in the semblance of a smile. "It's in a drawer back home but I haven't worn it for a while now. I stopped feeling the need to wear it."

"I see," she nods. "I like the tattoos, by the way. That's the Serpents' symbol, right?" she asks, pointing to the snake on the inside of his bicep.

He lifts his arm to look down at it and Betty tries not to sigh when the muscle flexes beneath his skin. "Yeah, that one kind of hurt."

"Are they all gang-related?" she asks tentatively.

His grins and it's wry. "Nope. And I know you're dying to ask me so I'll just tell you - I'm not a Serpent anymore. Haven't been since I was nineteen."

"Oh." She doesn't deny that she wanted to know - he still knows her too well. "Why do you have them then, if they're not for the Serpents?"

He shrugs, "The Serpents got me into them, an initiation of sorts. Viper gave me my first one with a stick and poke kit in the Whyte Wyrm before I turned eighteen. I got a few while I was with them, and then when I left, I got more. I like them. They're art in it's most permenant form."

"They look good," she compliments him. "I never imagined you'd get any tattoos but it's working for you. How many do you have?"

"Around eighteen," he estimates. "Mostly on my arms but I have a couple on my chest and ribs too."

Her eyes scan over his arms and the few bits of ink on his fingers and knuckles. He doesn't have sleeves but lots of individual pieces, all in black ink. There's no color in any of them and they remind her of the pictures she's seen of servicemen from the 1940's.

"Any secret tattoos, Cooper?" he asks, those blue eyes full of mirth and she's pleased that he's lightening up.

She barks out a laugh. "No! I may be twenty-six but my mom would still kill me."

He smirks. "Alice Cooper remains terrifying."

"You'd probably know that better than I do," Betty admits, the guilt seeping into her voice. "I haven't been back here since I graduated college and she doesn't come to the city much."

The waiter arrives with their food then and Betty's suddenly famished. She digs in with an eagerness that almost rivals Jughead.

"Christ, Betty. You're giving me a run for my money," he jokes as he watches her take a huge bite of her burger, echoing her thoughts.

She wants to be embarrassed but he's seen her at her lowest - desperately trying to drag her sobbing sister out of the group home she'd been banished to. Some burger sauce smeared across her face is nothing.

"You shouldn't feel bad about your mom, you know."

She looks up at him, surprised.

"You got out, Betty. Growing up in this town was toxic and you left, made a life somewhere new. I don't think your mom would begrudge you for that."

"Riverdale isn't all bad," she argues. "Some bad stuff went down here but I also met some of my closest and oldest friends. And I mean, you're still here, so it can't be awful."

"It's definitely not the nightmare of drug-trafficking and filicide that it was when we were growing up," he agrees, "but small-town life can be mind-numbingly boring. Sometimes I wish I had left."

She munches on a fry and asks, "So why didn't you?"

He shrugs. "I'm comfortable here. I've got a home - however shitty it may be - and a job, and my dog. I guess nothing's ever given me enough of a reason to change that."

She thinks it could be a case of no _one_  ever giving him enough of a reason but she absolutely isn't in a position to ask him about his dating history.

"You've still got time," she points out. "You're young. You could move somewhere else, start over."

"Maybe," he says noncommittally.

She's half-way through her meal but Jughead has already finished and is ordering another shake.

She laughs. "Some things never change."

He grins. "I guess the growing boy excuse doesn't work anymore. I actually have to go to the gym now. I miss the days of my sixteen year old metabolism."

Betty misses a lot of things about that time and sitting here with him is only making her more wistful. Although she's not about to complain about his newfound gym routine - the black t-shirt he's wearing is snug against the toned planes of his chest and stomach, broader than she remembers.

"Do you ever think about those days?" she asks quietly. "About us?"

"Sometimes. Our break-up is still one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with."

She could point out that he never would have had to deal with it if he hadn't broken-up with her but that was almost ten years ago. She can't go dragging up the past.

"Me, too." Her voice is quiet and she's starting to feel emotional. "When I think about those days and all of the crazy shit that happened, I'm always surprised by how happy I was when I was with you. Our relationship was a real bright spot in my life during that time."

He smiles sadly. "It was the same for me."

She so badly wants to question him and ask him why he left her crying in her bedroom all those years ago but she doesn't think she can without crying. And that's not how she wants today to go - she just wants to talk to her old friend and clear her head of the mess that it's been for the past week.

 

 

 

_Fred has been shot and his dad is in jail and the Serpents are knocking at his door. It's all too much and the only thing that keeps him from spiralling is her. Betty._

_She's always there with her soft smiles and softer touches, and he drowns in her affection. Admitting their love for one another had heightened everything and now he can't stay away from her._

_Ever since that night in the trailer things had progressed between them, his hands finding their way beneath her shirts and her skirts, and her hands sliding into his boxers, unsure but still so fucking good._

_The first time they have sex, they're in his dad's trailer and her hair is spread out across the single pillow on his shitty twin bed. The space is cramped which makes everything even more awkward, but she's so pretty underneath him and he wants to be good for her._

_He makes her come beneath his fingers before pushing inside of her. He knows it isn't good for her and it's too good for him, but she isn't uncomfortable for long because he finishes quickly, embarrassed.  
_

_She strokes his hair afterwards, tells him they have plenty of time to get better at it._

_And they do -_ so much better _. Weeks later and he can make her fall apart while he's still inside of her, her gasping against his mouth, nails sinking into his shoulder blades._

_It's all so beautiful - a concentrated goodness - that it almost makes him forget about the pressure from the Serpents._

_Fred is recovering well, FP is doing okay given the circumstances, but the Serpents are still lingering, hissing in his ear._

_It starts with friendly offers to go to the Whyte Wyrm and hang out with his dad's buddies and the guys he's met at his new school. Those nights are fine, until Viper tells him about the debt his dad owes the Serpents._

_He racked up quite a tab during his heavy boozing periods, and while they've given him time to pay it off due to FP's unwavering loyalty, it's not going to get paid any quicker while he's in prison._

_There are thinly-veiled threats made, sly words pertaining to the people he loves most - Archie, Fred,_ Betty _. It messes with his head, makes him want to throw up at the thought of them hurting her, and she notices._

_She pleads with him to talk to her, to take off the damn leather jacket. He knows he can't and he also knows that sooner or later he's going to have to choose between his girl or his gang. Although there's no real choice there. It would be Betty - every time - if only that choice wouldn't end up hurting her._

_When they ask him to deal drugs at the last Riverdale football game of the school year, he knows he has to end things with Betty._

_He goes to her house the night before the game. She's in her cheerleading uniform, Cheryl pushing the team to their limits before the big show the following night._

_She grins when she sees him tapping on her window and kisses him as soon as he's hoisted himself through and onto her floor._

_"I'm so sore after all the practicing Cheryl's making us do. I was hoping you could help stretch me out," she says, all teasing._

_She's so beautiful and carefree in that moment and he hates that he's about to take that away from her._

_"Betts, we need to talk."_

_Her smile falters. "That doesn't sound good."_

_He pulls her over to her bed and they both take a seat. He holds her hands tightly in his, stares at them so he doesn't have to look at her face._

_"I can't do this anymore, Betty. I'm so sorry."_

_"Why?" She doesn't sound upset or angry, but her tone is firm._

_"This isn't gonna work - me on the Southside and you still here. Everything's changing and I don't want you to get swept up in it."_

_"I knew this would happen," she says and there it is - the anger. "I knew this fucking town would pull us apart."_

_"Betty-"_

_"Is it the Serpents?" she asks. "Are they pressuring you to leave me? Am I not good for your reputation? Because I can come with you. I could meet them and show them that I'm not against them."_

_And he knows she would. She'd do anything to make their relationship work, to keep them together. He wishes_ _he had that determination but all he can think about is how hurt she could get in the process._

_"They're never going to accept you," he lies. They'd read her article about FP - they knew that she would stand by him if she had to. "And I have to be loyal to them now, I have to respect them. For my safety and for my dad."_

_She's crying now, her big eyes glossy and red as tears roll down her cheeks._

_"Juggie, you can't do this. I_ love _you."_

_"I have to go," he says abruptly, pulling his hands away from her and standing. He tries to keep his tone neutral but he can't stop himself from murmuring, "I'm sorry, Betts. I really am. Please don't hate me," before he climbs out of her window._

_He heads straight to the Whyte Wyrm and finds Viper at the bar._

_"I'm in."_

_His eyebrows raise. "You're finally gonna be one of us?"_

_Like he had a choice._

_He nods. "I'm ready."_

_"Well," Viper begins, rising from his stool, "this calls for an initiation. Jet, get me the kit!"_

_Jughead's fingers curl into the leather of the bar stool as Viper pokes him with the needle, branding him with his first tattoo._

 

 

 

They head back to the trailer after dinner. It's getting late but Betty really doesn't want to end their time together yet and Jughead must sense that.

"You want to watch a movie?" he asks from the passenger seat.

"Sure," she agrees easily.

Hot Dog settles at her feet as they get comfortable on the couch. Jughead chooses a comedy from his Netflix list and they don't say much before the movie starts.

She's surprised when Jughead pipes up, half-way through. When they were kids he'd had a strict no-talking during movies rule.

"I don't want to pry, but seeing as you've turned up out of the blue today, I feel like I can share my opinion on this big decision of yours." She looks at him expectantly. "I don't know what it is or how it will affect you but I'm sure you'll make the right decision in the end. In all the years I've known you, you've never done something without the best of intentions."

"I hope you're right," she replies softly.

It's late when the movie finishes and she yawns as she stretches on his couch.

"Do you want to stay?" he asks hesitantly. "I can take the couch and you can have my bed."

"No, it's fine. I can just get a hotel."

He gives her a dismissive look. "It's only one night, Betty. Let me get you something to wear."

He disappears into his bedroom and returns with a shirt and boxers for her to wear, and a blanket and pillow.

"Thanks," she says, taking the clothes from him.

She hasn't worn his clothes since she was sixteen and her stomach clenches at the thought of putting them on again. She wonders if they smell the same. He smells different; new cologne, she assumes.

He gives her a small smile and lays the blanket across the couch. "No problem."

"Night, Juggie," she says as she turns towards his room.

"Night, Betts," he replies and she's beaming, so glad her back is turned to him and he can't see.

He hasn't called her Betts in eight years.

 


	2. saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the response to the first chapter!

He's frying up two eggs when Betty comes into the kitchen. She's wearing the clothes he gave her last night, his t-shirt falling to her mid-thigh with a little bit of his boxers peeking out beneath.

She looks really good in his clothes, but then again, she always did.

She smiles at him, all white teeth and sleep-rumpled hair.

"Morning, Jug."

"Morning. I'm making eggs and toast, if you want some. There's coffee in the pot, too."

She manoeuvres herself around him to pour herself a cup and his heart gives a little tug at how domestic it is, then both in his little kitchen on a weekend morning.

"Eggs sound so good," she says with a little groan. "Smells good, too."

She takes a seat at his kitchen table and waits for him to plate up their breakfast. Her phone is lying on the table, vibrating twice as he moves their food onto two plates.

"Somewhere you need to be?" he asks as his sits down in front of her.

She finishes writing her text and puts her phone back on the table. "Nope," she says with another big smile.

"Okay," he says with a nod and cuts into his egg. "Well if you haven't got any plans for the day, I was wondering if you wanted to head over to Westchester with me. I have some parts to pick up for an old bike I'm working on and I was thinking we could grab some lunch there."

It's a bold move on his part. To say he was surprised when she turned up on his doorstep the day before would be an understatement and he still wasn't sure why she was here.

But it had only taken a day of talking to her and being with her again, just the two of them, and he was filled with the desire to keep Betty around for just a little longer _._ It was a familiar feeling from back when they dated _._ It seems that eight years hasn't changed his near-constant need to have her around and soak her in.

She must not have a problem with his plan for the day because she smiles at him.

"Always thinking of your next meal, Jug. You haven't even finished this one." She nods at his breakfast and he snorts. "That sounds nice though. I haven't been to Westchester in a long time."

"Cool. I was thinking we could leave around eleven. You don't mind riding on the bike, do you?"

She swallows the bite in her mouth. "Uh... no?"

He laughs. She definitely does.

"If you want to take your car I can pay for the gas."

She waves her hand dismissively. "There's no need but I can still drive us there. We can take Hot Dog, too."

"Great. Then I don't have to leave him with my neighbors."

As if summoned by the conversation, Hot Dog comes into the kitchen and sits down at Betty's feet, his tongue hanging out as he pants. He's starting to suspect his dog prefers her to him. It figures - Betty Cooper could make the male of any species fall in love with her in only a day.

"Hey," she says and leans down to pet him. "Do you wanna go on a little adventure today?"

The dog licks her palm as if he's acquiescing.

"I think he likes you more than me," Jughead jokes.

She rolls her eyes. "He's just jealous, boy," Betty coos as she scratches Hot Dog behind the ears. "He wants you all to himself."

This whole morning is feeling very domestic and Jughead's not entirely comfortable with it. He stuffs the last bit of egg and toast into his mouth and leaves the table to wash up.

He lets her shower first - and offers her a spare toothbrush, something he stupidly forgot to do the night before - while he clears up and once she's out, takes a shower of his own. They're dressed and ready to leave a little before eleven.

Betty is in jeans and a dark green t-shirt, a far cry from her exclusively pastel wardrobe she wore in high school. Her hair is up in a ponytail and he feels nostalgic for teenage Betty Cooper, who was familiar to him and loved him more than he ever deserved.

The Betty in front of him is a bit of a mystery and he finds himself - despite his intentions to keep his guard up - wanting to get to know her.

They slip into their jackets and he grabs Hot Dog's leash before they head outside to her car.

"Do you still have your leather jacket?" she asks when they're seated and Hot Dog is secure in the backseat.

"The Serpents one?" She nods. "It belonged to my dad so I have it in my wardrobe, but I haven't worn it since I left them."

"I always thought you looked hot in it," she comments with a little smile pulling at her lips. She looks wistful. "I jumped you so many times when we were kids just because you were wearing it."

He laughs. "Jesus, Cooper. Is that some kind of fetish you have there?"

She shrugs with a little laugh of her own. "Maybe."

They put the address of the auto-shop in Westchester into her GPS and pull out of the trailer park. Neither of them says much on the way there, content to listen to the playlist playing in the car.

"I don't remember you liking Radiohead," he comments when the song changes. 

"I got into them during college," she explains. "My music tastes have changed since my days of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé."

"Nothing wrong with Beyoncé," he argues and she raises her eyebrows.

"Never pegged you for a Beyoncé fan, Jones. But you're right - she's awesome."

He catalogs that bit of information away in his mind.

In theory, he understands that people grow up and change - he certainly has - but he never really expected to see her again and not like this. The image he conjures up in his head whenever he has allowed himself to think about her over the last eight years was that of Betty in her River Vixens uniform, with her too-tight pony and glossy pink lips.

Like he said, she's a mystery to him now, but he's hoping she'll be less so by the end of the day.

 

 

 

When they get to the auto-shop, one of the guys already has the components he ordered in a bag for him to take. They're bigger than he expected and he's glad that he can throw them into the trunk of Betty's car. They definitely wouldn't have fit into the small trunk attached to his bike.

"Thanks, man," Jughead says, shaking the guys hand. "Really appreciate it. I've been trying to fix this bike for months now."

"No problem."

Betty's waiting for him with two coffees when he leaves the shop.

"All done?" she asks, passing one of the cups to him.

"Yeah. Do you want to have a look around and get something to eat?"

"Sure."

They get Hot Dog from the backseat and attach his leash before they head off into town. They find a cute street full of coffee shops and boutiques and Betty spends some time checking out the jewellery in one of the stores, while Jughead waits outside with Hot Dog and smokes a cigarette.

"Look how cute these are!" she says as she exits the store. She lifts up a set of earrings shaped like birds, an excited grin lighting up her whole face. "I love finding stuff like this in tiny places. Makes it more unique."

"They're pretty," he comments and jumps slightly when she wraps her hand around his bicep.

If she notices his reaction she doesn't say anything, just continues to hold onto him as they head further down the street.

He wonders if they look like a couple to the people they pass by. Their proximity and the dog would suggest they were a young couple just checking out the town.

Jughead knows thats a dangerous path to go down - Betty hasn't made any indication that she's interested in anything more than friendship, and for all he knows, she could have a boyfriend. Other than work, they haven't really discussed much of their personal lives.

He's beginning to feel weird about his decision to invite her along today and thinks food will be a good distraction.

"What about this place?" he asks as they stop outside a small restaurant. "They have outdoor seating so we can sit with Hot Dog."

"Sounds good to me," she agrees, surveying the specials board propped up outside the door.

They take a seat at one of the tables and he hooks Hot Dog's leash around the leg of his chair.

It's a sunny day but not too warm, and the sunlight behind Betty lights up her hair like a halo. She's always been pretty but the older, more experienced Betty in front of him looks downright beautiful.

Maybe it's the confidence she's clearly gained in the years he's missed. When they were teenagers, she had always been much more outgoing than he ever was - mostly the result of years of Cooper-etiquette being drilled into her - but there were often times when her self-consciousness would make an appearance and prevent her from being as honest as she wanted to be.

That's not an issue for her anymore. She had berated him for fifteen minutes last night about the pretentiousness of his Netflix list and had mocked him when she found only one movie on there that she deemed mainstream enough to actually be watchable. He'd enjoyed the whole exchange far more than he should have.

And now she's laughing at him because he's ordered not one, but two BLTs with a side of fries.

"I don't think your appetite will ever _not_ fascinate me," she tells him with a fond smile, her chin cradled in her hand.

"At this point, eating large quantities of food is like a skill. I should put it on my resume."

She laughs and he's really missed that sound.

"So how did you become a mechanic?" she asks. "That was always more my thing than yours."

"I started working in the Serpents' auto-shop when I was eighteen. They taught me how to fix up bikes and cars, and gave me some cash when I had to leave my foster parents."

She smiles sadly. "Was that hard for you? I always liked Michael and Diane."

Of course she would remember the name of the people she had only met a handful of times.

"It's just the way things work. You age out of the system," he says nonchalantly, betraying how hard it had actually been. "I still speak to them - they're great people. They never approved of the Serpent thing but they didn't want to seperate me from them either. They were my last connection to my dad."

"How did you get out? I didn't think people just left the Serpents."

"I paid off my dad's debt," he replies. "That didn't actually happen until I was twenty-two, so when I told them I wanted to leave at nineteen, I kept them sweet by repairing their bikes for them. They knew I could do a good job and it showed that I would stay loyal even when I left."

Her expression morphs into a frown and their food arrives before he can question her. Although it doesn't take long for her to voice her issue once the waitress has left.

"You don't seem angry at them," she points out. "They made you deal drugs and pay off a debt that wasn't yours, but you seem almost... fond of them."

He chews on his bite of sandwich, considering how he can explain it to her.

"I'm not angry with them," he finally responds. "I'm angry with _Viper_. He was the one that made me do all of that stuff. Most of the guys in the gang are just in it for the camaraderie. A brothers in arms kind of thing. It was only Viper and a few of the others that were into the bad shit and my dad got mixed up in it too."

She sighs heavily then and there's a deep frown on her face, pinching at her features. He doesn't like it at all.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just... I'm so _mad_."

"At the Serpents?"

"At myself," she states and he blinks in shock. "I should never have let you go through all of that shit on your own."

"I broke up with you, Betty," he argues. "I pushed you away. You had no obligation to help me during that time."

"That's bullshit, Jug. Long before we dated we were friends, had been since childhood." Her eyes drop down to her plate as she murmurs, "I don't know how I forgot that."

This was not okay. He doesn't know how she's managed it, but somehow she has found a way to blame herself for that awful period of his life and it might be the dumbest thing Betty Cooper has ever said.

"Betts," he says firmly and takes her hand in his. She looks up at him tentatively. "You were not responsible for my happiness. I broke up with you to keep you safe and away from me, and I'm so glad that it worked. God knows what would have happened to you, if I hadn't."

Her mouth parts slightly and she blinks rapidly, looking confused.

"I don't understand." She grips his fingers in hers. "You said you broke up with me because the Serpents wouldn't accept me."

He winces. "You remember that?"

"Of course I remember that," she snaps. "It's still one of the most upsetting nights of my life." She takes a deep breath. "Did you break up with me because you thought you were protecting me?"

"I _was_ protecting you," he insists. Her anger has left him reeling. She had to know he did it for her own good. "Viper threatened all of the people I loved - even Archie."

"You didn't cut ties with Archie," she points out, tone cold. "You were still friends when you were a Serpent. But you left _me_."

He swallows thickly and he knows it's time to tell the truth.

"I hate myself for admitting this but - I could have handled it if something had happened to Archie. It would have been bad but I wound have gotten through it. But if something had happened to _you_ ,it would have broke me."

She looks like she's about to cry as she drags her chair around the table next to his, the legs scraping noisily against the sidewalk.

He's wrapped up in her arms before he can process what's happening.

"Christ, Juggie," she sighs, burying her face in his shoulder. "You could never catch a fucking break."

He laughs despite the sad atmosphere surrounding them and rubs his hand across her back, soothingly.

"It's alright, Betts. I think things turned out okay in the end."

She pulls back and smiles at him, rests her hand on his shoulder.

"No more sad stuff, okay? I don't want to cry over my sandwich."

He chuckles softly. "Okay."

They make small talk for the rest of the meal but Betty never moves her chair back to the other side of the table.

 

 

 

Jughead spots a wine store on the way back to the car and grabs Betty's arm to pull her to a stop.

"Do you... Do you still need more time to make your decision?" he asks hesitantly.

"I'm not ready to go back to the city yet," she admits. "But you don't need to let me stay over another night, Jug. I can get a hotel, it's really not a big deal."

"No way. You can save your money and just stay with me again. It's only one more night."

"Well... thank you," she smiles. "You're very sweet."

"Do you want to get a bottle of wine?" he suggests, motioning to the store. "We could split it while we watch another movie."

"Yeah, that sounds great."

They return to the car with a bottle of red and some movie snacks from a convenience store. Betty insists on making dinner for them and stops at a grocery store before they go back to his trailer.

Durig the journey home, she asks him if he's had any girlfriends in the time they've spent apart. He thinks she means to sound casual but he can hear the hesitance in her voice.

"A couple of girls. Nothing serious," he tells her and it's the truth. She's his one and only relationship. "What about you?"

"There was one guy," she responds.

It sounds like there's a story there but whatever it is, she clearly doesn't want to tell it. He lets it drop.

When they're back at the trailer, they watch some TV before she gets started on the lasagna she's making. It's a little early for dinner and they hadn't long ago eaten but Jughead isn't about to turn down food. Betty's probably hungry, too - after their impromptu heart to heart at lunch, she had only picked at her meal.

She opens up the bottle of wine while the lasagna is baking and Jughead is trying to find another non-pretentious movie that's to her liking.

"Here," she says handing him a glass. "Just choose whatever you want. I could get on-board with a little pretentiousness - as long as it doesn't have subtitles!"

He snorts. "God forbid you have to read something onscreen."

"I came here to watch a movie not to read it," she quips and then pokes her tongue out childishly.

He makes a selection and gets comfortable on the couch.

For all of her teasing last night, she must be enjoying the movie because she asks him to pause it when she has to take the lasagna out of the oven.

"This is so fucking good," he groans when he takes the first bite.

"Shh! I'm trying to pay attention," she shushes him, eyes fixed on the screen, but then looks at him out of the corner of her eye and says, "But thanks."

It's getting late when they start up the second movie and Jughead is already fearing another night sleeping on his sofa. He doesn't mind Betty staying over - in fact, he had almost encouraged it, but he doesn't want to dwell on the reasons why - but that thing was not fun to sleep on.

He turns to look at her, feeling a little hazy after his second glass of wine. She's curled up next to him, a wine-induced flush staining her cheeks, and he knows it's not the alcohol that makes him think she's the prettiest thing he's ever seen.

"Hey," he says softly, almost a whisper.

He's not sure why but it feels wrong to speak at normal volume in the dark room. She turns to him, her eyes bright even though she's also clearly feeling the effects of the wine.

"I'm really glad you came to see me, Betts. I mean, it's kind of weird after such a long time but it's been nice spending time with you. More than nice."

She smiles. "Me, too, Juggie. Coming here is the best choice I've made in a while."

She leans forward to kiss cheek but misses and her lips press softly against the corner of his mouth. She pulls back to look at him and his gaze flickers between her eyes and her red-stained lips.

"Sorry," she whispers.

"Don't be," he assures her and then they're kissing.

She shifts up onto her knees and her palms come to rest against his jaw. Her lips are just as soft as they are in his memories and when he slips his tongue into her mouth she tastes like wine and _Betty_.

She shifts closer to him, and he takes the initiative and pulls her onto his lap, her legs falling either side of his. One of his hands reaches up to tangle in her hair as the other slides along her denim-clad thigh.

"Bedroom," she gasps against his mouth and in a surprisingly smooth move, he stands and lifts her with him, his hands cradling the backs of her thighs.

She giggles as he carries her to his room and it all feels so familiar - just like a night almost ten years ago in this very trailer.

 

 

 

_She's devastated by the break up but she does her best not to let it show. It's hard - when you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with someone and they leave you, it's a real blow._

_Veronica does her best to support her and Archie slots right back into the childhood best friend role that had seemed somewhat distant over the last year and a half._

_He's the bridge between the two of them post-break up. She only ever sees Jughead when Archie invites them both to the same things and over time it makes things easier to deal with. She thinks cutting off all contact with Jughead would have been more than she could handle and the little bits of small talk they share help keep her afloat._

_He looks terrible whenever she sees him. He still cute, of course - she'll never understand how she went through fifteen years believing Archie was the more handsome of the two - but the circles beneath his eyes look darker and his pale complexion suggests he hasn't been taking care of himself. She wonders how much of his appearance is due to their break up and how much is a result of his new life as a Serpent._

_She briefly considers dating someone new - with much encouragement from Veronica - but it never happens. There's a weird moment where Archie tosses his hat into that ring, her teenage fantasy come true, but she turns him down. There are so many reasons why that would be a bad idea - he's her oldest friend, his recent break up with Veronica - but the biggest one by far is that she's still in love with Jughead. She's beginning to think she always will be._

_He transfers back to Riverdale High before the end of senior year to graduate with his old friends. He arrives on his first day on a sleek black motorcycle with a snake emblazoned of the back of his jacket. He's not the same boy that had left to go to the Southside._

_His return is bittersweet. She's so happy he's here with the people that love him but she feels like she can't acknowledge that_ she's _one of those people, and that really hurts._

_She had thrown herself into her schoolwork and extra-curriculars as a distraction and it pays off. She graduates as Valedictorian and gives a speech in front of her class that is more sardonic than it would have been eighteen months ago._

_She had always assumed she would be elated when she finally graduated. She's definitely happy to be leaving but it has less to do with moving on, like she expected, and more to do with her feeling so_ tired _._

_Tired of school, of this town, of things not turning out the way she thought they would._

_The last time she sees him is at Veronica's graduation party. The Lodge's had upgraded to a mansion to rival the Blossom's following Hiram's return and she finds him on the deck of said mansion, looking out across the manicured gardens._

_"Out here all alone?" she asks, taking a seat beside him._

_He smiles and looks at her out of the corner of his eye. "I like it that way, you know that. What are_ you _doing out here alone?"_

_She wrinkles her nose. "It's becoming too much in there. I had to get away from all the drunk, smiling faces."_

_"You don't sound very happy about graduating," he points out. "And your speech wasn't full of the positive, uplifting sentiment I expected."_

_She shrugs and stares out into the yard._

_"I'm not feeling that positive these days. I just wanna leave already."_

_It's quiet for a moment and then he asks, "Where are you going?"_

_"New York. Columbia, specifically," she replies. "Majoring in Journalism, minoring in whatever piques my interest."_

_He nods. "Nice. That's where you always wanted to go."_

_She loves that he remembers that._

_"What about you?" she asks._

_"I'm sticking around here," he says, not_ _sad but definitely resigned. "I can't afford to go to college right now."_

_She hates that. He's one of the most intelligent people she knows but his circumstances won't allow him to flourish and it's not fair._

_"Maybe in the future," she says quietly and lies her hand on top of his._

_He flips his hand up beneath hers and squeezes her fingers, then turns to her with a small smile. "Maybe."_

_She doesn't know if it's the squeeze or the little smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes but she feels compelled to tell him how she feels._

_"I know we haven't spoken much in the last year and a half but I want you to know - I'm really going to miss you."_

_His eyes soften at her admission and she wants to kiss him, wants to take his sadness away._

_"I'm really gonna miss you, too."_

_Their eyes lock and something neither of them will name passes between them. The moments broken by Veronica's voice as she opens the door to the deck and asks Betty to come inside and do shots with her._

_She grimaces and stands with a heavy sigh._

_"That's my cue," she says, dusting off the back of her pants._

_He gives her a sympathetic smile. "Well I guess I'll see you around."_

_"Yeah. See you around."_

_She turns to leave but he grabs her hand and pulls her back before she can go. He wraps her up in a hug, his arms around her shoulders and she wraps hers around his waist. He's warm and familiar and he smells really good. He always gave the best hugs._

_"Don't be a stranger," he tells her when they pull apart. "You have my email."_

_"I won't," she promises but it will become a lie. "Bye, Juggie."_

_"Bye, Betts."_

 

 

 

Jughead lays her down on his bed and takes a moment to look at her. He has flashbacks to a similar moment, just before they lost their virginity to each other in this same room - her hair spread out beneath her, full lips pulled up into a soft smile, her big eyes so trusting and full of want.

The way he felt about her then and the way he feels now aren't all that different.

Their lips meet again and he slips his hands beneath her t-shirt, mapping her waist and her ribcage and the fabric of her bra with his fingers. She feels different now - fuller in all the best ways.

He pulls away to lift her shirt up and over her head and she reaches behind to remove her bra. He touches the pale skin of her breasts reverently, unable to fathom that he's allowed to do this again.

"Juggie," she murmurs, capturing his attention.

She tugs at the bottom of his shirt and he swallows before he removes it.

He knows the precise moment she sees it; hears her little gasp of surprise.

"Is that-"

"Yeah," he sighs.

She traces a single fingertip over the 'B' on the left side of his chest, her eyes following the movement.

As soon as her finger have left his skin she surges up to kiss him. It's hot and messy, teeth and tongue and moans being pulled from the backs of throats.

They make quick work of their jeans and underwear, and he takes another moment to admire her when she's stretched on his bed completely nude.

"Still so fucking beautiful," he says, mostly to himself, as he lays his palm flat against her lower abdomen.

He keeps his hand there as he moves down the bed and licks into the heat between her legs. She moans loudly, her fingers sinking into his hair. Her hips lift, seeking friction, but he holds her flat to the bed.

He makes her come with his tongue and then adds two fingers, has her pulsing around them as her mouth opens in a silent scream.

When he covers her body with his own again, she slides her foot along the back of his calf and smoothes her hands down the muscles in his arms that weren't as pronounced the last time they did this.

"I've missed you so much," she says, the green of her eyes never as bright as it is in this moment.

"You have no idea," he responds and their mouths meet again.

He pulls away to grab a condom from his bedside drawer and lines himself up once he is sheathed inside. He can felt the heat of her against his tip, urging him to push forward and lose himself inside of her.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks quietly.

It's too late for either of them to go back now but he wants her to tell him that she wants this as much as he does.

"I'm sure."

He hitches her leg up around his hip and pushes inside and it's the best thing he's felt in years.

 


	3. sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sunday funday! its about to get prettty dirty up in here
> 
> also, i have a tumblr now for anyone who's interested! 
> 
> please find me @ sopaloma ☺️ it has a very cooper-esque pastel aesthetic

When Betty wakes on Sunday morning, her muscles are aching in the best way, a physical reminder of how she had spent her night.

She stretches and then turns to her right, a smile spreading across her face at the sight in front of her.

Jughead is asleep beside her, face buried in his pillow with his arms tucked beneath it. He's snoring softly, his mouth slightly open, and the sheet covering them is riding low on his back, exposing smooth skin that she hasn't been able to touch in years.

She's run her fingers across his back slowly, making a path from the dimples at the small of his back to this shoulder blades. When her fingers reach their destination she kisses his shoulder and shuffles closer, faces so close their noses could touch.

She runs her fingertips along his lips and over his eyebrows, smooths away the lock of hair that is brushing against his forehead. He's more than handsome in the soft morning light, he's beautiful, and she can't stop touching him.

"Betts?" he says, his voice rough with sleep as his eyes flutter open.

She smiles. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," he replies and wraps his arm around her waist, pulls her impossibly closer.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Best sleep I've had in a long time. Think it may have something to do with the blonde in my bed."

She giggles and leans forward to kiss him. She intends for it to be a peck but he deepens it immediately, morning breath he damned.

"We really should brush our teeth," she says with a laugh when he breaks the kiss.

He sighs and pushes his face further into the pillow. "I guess but I really don't want to leave this bed."

She strokes his cheekbone with her thumb.

"Me neither."

They do get out of bed to brush their teeth, both strangely unashamed of their nudity despite the lack of intimacy between them for almost a decade. They tumble back into bed soon after though, her head resting on his chest.

Her finger traces the 'B' there over and over again and she has so many questions.

Instead she asks, "Do you regret breaking up with me?"

He's quiet, his fingers stroking the hair at her temples away from her face, until he finally says, "No."

She leans up on her elbow to look at him. "Really? But we could have been living this, everyday, for the past eight years. Doesn't that sound good to you?"

"Or you could have been seriously hurt by some really dangerous people. That doesn't sound so good to me," he replies, all seriousness.

She sighs. "Do you really think they would have hurt me?"

"If I had stepped out of line, yes," he answers, not missing a beat. "I loved you so much, Betty. I wasn't going to risk the chance that they weren't bluffing and I'll never regret trying to keep you safe."

She kisses him because she doesn't know how else to respond to that. She had been right about him - he still had such conviction in his decision to leave her, even nine years later.

"Do you think we would have lasted? If we'd stayed together in high school."

"I don't know," he replies honestly. "I'd like to think so. I know every high school couple thinks they're the exception but it really did feel like you were it for me."

She thinks he should ditch the crime journalism and start writing romance novels. He could give Nicholas Sparks a run for his money with lines like that.

She throws her leg over his waist, straddles him, and then bends down to cup his face in her hands, kisses him long and hard.

"I need to have you," she murmurs against his mouth, grinding herself against him. He's already hard between her legs.

"You already have me," he tells her as she rises and then lowers herself onto him, and she wonders how many ways in which that is true.

His fingers bite into her hips at the feeling of her with no barriers between them. He's the only man she's ever felt like this.

"Juggie," she moans as she rocks back and forth, her hands on his chest, the 'B' beneath her palm.

They don't leave his bed until it's dark outside.

 

 

 

_She rides him until they're both panting, her hands braced behind her on his thighs as his hands skim along her abdomen and up to her breasts._

_"Come here," he breathes as he sits up and she meets him halfway._

_They're closer this way, they're faces inches apart, breaths intermingling. It changes the angle and he's so deep she loses her breath._

_"Fuck," she cries out, her hands clasped behind his neck._

_He guides her hips, moving her over him again and again, until he moves his thumb to massage her clit._

_She falls apart around him but she can feel him holding back, tense beneath her._

_"Inside me," she pants against his neck. "It's okay."_

_He releases into her with a deep moan and she'd forgotten what it's like to be this close to another person._

 

 

 

"How often do you see your dad?" she asks, stroking her fingers through his hair.

He lifts his head from his spot between her breasts to give her a look.

"You seriously want to talk about my dad, right now?"

She laughs. "I know, I'm sorry. It just came to mind. It always bothered me so much when we were younger - it still does. I just wondered how he was doing."

"I remember," he murmurs, dropping his head to her chest again. "I never thanked you for that. For not giving up on him, for believing him when no one else did."

She kisses the top of his head. "I loved you and you loved him. It was easy, really."

"Still," he says, squeezing her hip. "Thank you."

"No problem."

They get quiet and then he says, "He gets out in five years."

"Five?" she repeats, twisting a lock of his hair around her finger. "I'll have to come see him when he's released."

 

 

 

_He's behind her, his pace punishing as he fucks her. Her hands are clutching the sheets, her face buried in his pillow, her moans muffled by the fabric._

_Even like this - aggressive and needy - he loves her so good, makes her remember how amazing this can be._

_"Fuck, Betty," he moans as he slides a hand along her back and twists it up into her hair._

_He takes even harder this way, when he can pull her head back, make her back arch._

_His hand moves from her hair to her stomach and then slides down to where she needs him most._

_She loves the fast and rough as much as the soft and slow._

 

 

 

"Do you like your job?"

His hand smooths along her waist to her hip as they lie side by side, on their fronts. They're both sleepy and sated even though it's two in the afternoon.

"Sometimes," she answers. "It's definitely a good starting point to get myself onto the right career path. But it can be tough when I want to be writing but instead I'm helping to edit someone else's work. I didn't think this was what I'd be doing with my degree." She sighs. "I have been looking into other jobs."

"You'll get there eventually," he reassures her and she can't make sense of the expression on his face. "You're one of the smartest, most hard-working people I've ever known. An overachiever in every sense of the word," he finishes with a smirk.

She shoves at his shoulder. "Jerk."

"It's a compliment, Betty," he says as he catches her hand in his and kisses her knuckles. "I wouldn't have you any other way."

 

 

 

_She takes him into her mouth and the sound he makes is long and loud. His fingers tangle in her hair but he doesn't guide her movements._

_He's never been pushy like that. When they were younger he had always seemed so grateful any time she let him touch her or she touched him, as if she didn't crave it as much as he did, want him as much as he wanted her._

_She looks up at him from her position on her knees and he's incredible - skin damp with sweat, head thrown back in pleasure, muscles straining beneath the ink-covered skin she's come to love so much._

_She wraps her hand around the base of him and runs her tongue along the underside of his cock. She wants him to fall apart in her mouth, to taste him on her tongue._

 

 

 

Her fingers are touching the 'B' again, a spot they have often returned to over the course of the day.

She finally asks the question she's been dying to know the answer to since she discovered it last night.

"When did you get this?"

He doesn't say anything and she thinks he's fallen asleep, but when she looks up at him he's watching her, his blue eyes sad and soft.

"The night I broke up with you," he eventually answers. "It was my initiation tattoo. I was really upset and I headed straight to the bar to tell Viper I was in. My head was filled with the image of you crying on your bed and how I was the one that had caused that, so when he asked what I wanted, all I could think about was you."

"You've had this for nine years?" she whispers, voice choked with emotion, and he nods. "Did it hurt?"

"They all hurt a little bit," he reasons. "But leaving you hurt more."

She leans down to press a light kiss against the 'B' and then rests her head against it. Her fingers touch the other pieces of ink adorning his body - the swallow on his ribs, the pin-up girl on his forearm, even the snake on the inside of his bicep.

"Do they all have meanings?"

"No. I got most of them because I like the old school style and they fit the aesthetic."

She rolls her eyes at that. "All about the aesthetic."

His hand slides down her side to cup her ass.

"You know me too well, Cooper."

She wants to argue that she doesn't really know this version of him - the one with the tattoos and no beanie - but there's still some of the boy she fell in love with lingering there; maybe he's more familiar than she thought.

 

 

 

_His hips hit her inner thighs over and over again. It's a slow, lazy rhythm and she's sore now, their coming together leaving a pressure between her legs. It's a good kind of sore though and he feels amazing inside of her._

_She wants to tell him she loves him. She's not sure if she always has or if it just lay dormant until they saw each other again, but she feels it._

_Maybe it was always supposed to be like this. If she hadn't sought him out, they might have crossed paths eventually, and all the feelings would have come flooding back. Connections like this don't just disappear._

_Her hand slides from his shoulder, over his back and down to his ass, grasping firmly and pulling him even closer._

_He gasps out a, "Betty," as his thrusts falter._

 

 

 

Late in the afternoon, their stomachs start rumbling and they both need to eat. They slowly leave the bed - him in his boxers, her in the clothes he had given her to sleep in - and he heats up some of the leftover lasagne for them.

They sit across from each other, feet tangled beneath the table and fingers tangled on top of it. They can't stop smiling at each other, one always catching the other watching when they take a bite.

It's blissful, the most content she thinks she's ever been, but she knows that she has to tell him. She doesn't deserve this contentment, this love, when she hasn't been telling the truth.

"I need to tell you something," she begins and she hates how small her voice sounds. He must be able to hear the hesitance there.

He rests his fork against his plate and his grip on her hand tightens.

"Is this about your decision?"

"Yeah." She takes a deep breath and steels herself.

"You're leaving the country, aren't you?" he asks, a bit of panic in his voice, and then sighs. "You've got some big job lined up in another place and you're going." He scrubs his hand over his face. "I fucking knew that I should have held my guard up around you."

"Juggie," she says softly, desperate for him to stop rambling and jumping to conclusions. She needs to get this out. "I'm not leaving the country."

"You're not? I just assumed that such a big deci-"

She cuts him off.

"You know when I told you yesterday that there was one guy?" He nods, his face suddenly expressionless. "Well, I live with him, in the city. And last weekend he asked me to marry him."

The muscle in his jaw flexes but his voice is emotionless when he asks, "And you haven't given him an answer?"

"No. I came to see you first."

The chair squeaks against the linoleum as he pushes back from the table and stands up.

"Why did you come here, Betty?" He's not shouting but his anger is evident.

She rises, too, and steps closer to him.

"I never expected any of this to happen," she says, gesturing between them. "I just wanted to get closure, to stop thinking about what could have been, and I got swept up in this weekend. In you."

"Closure?" he hisses, eyes narrowed. "We broke up _nine_ years ago. Shouldn't you have gotten that by now?"

She scoffs. "Come _on_ , Juggie. You know that you aren't over it either."

"That's different," he snaps. "I'm not in a relationship and I didn't insert myself back into your life so that I could marry someone else."

"It wasn't like that," she insists. "I honestly thought that we'd just talk for a few hours and I'd let go of all of the 'what ifs' that have been plaguing me since I was _seventeen_. And it wasn't even so I could accept Aaron's proposal - things haven't been right between us for a while. But I wanted a chance to move on with _someone_. To finally get over you."

"So what changed?" he asks, the anger dissipating into sadness.

"After that first day together, I just knew. I knew that I was never going to get over you." Tears prickle at her eyes, threatening to spill. "That I'm never going to love someone the way I loved you."

She can see the movement of his Adam's apple as he swallows the lump in his throat.

"You used me, Betty."

"No, Jug-"

"You did. And now I need you to go."

She doesn't say anything as she picks up her clothes from his bedroom, and then her coat and purse. She heads to the front door of the trailer, still in his shirt and boxers, and when she turns to look at him his eyes are trained on the floor, unable to meet her eye.

She's never hated herself more.

"I'm so sorry, Juggie," she whispers and then she leaves, letting the door slam shut behind her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i know. please don't hate betty too much! everyone makes mistakes...


	4. monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the response to this! i really hope you enjoy the last chapter

His sleep is restless and he wakes on Monday feeling something akin to hungover. His head hurts and his memories of the previous afternoon are spotty.

He remembers the important bits though - Betty and her boyfriend, her need for _closure_. What a fucking joke. The past three days had just proved that there was no one else for him - or her, apparently. And the whole thing makes him sad.

That's the overwhelming feeling he has. He's not even angry anymore, just upset that things had spiralled out of control and now they were both miserable.

After he's put food down for Hot Dog, he texts Archie - the first bit of contact he's had with any of his friends since she turned up outside his trailer.

 

**Jughead**  
Hey, man. Thanks for warning me about Betty. Really fucking appreciate it.

 

He responds minutes later.

 

**Archie**  
What are you talking about?

**Jughead**  
Betty turned up at the trailer on Friday, said you told her where I lived.

**Archie**  
Shit. Dude, I'm so sorry. I thought it was weird that she was asking about you but I didn't know she was going to come see you. I would have said something.

 

Jughead knows he's telling the truth. Archie couldn't keep a secret if you paid him to do it. He would have told Jughead if Betty had shared her plan to visit him.

 

**Jughead**  
Whatever, it's fine. Just don't give out my personal info to anyone else!

**Archie**  
I won't, promise. Is everything okay?

 

He has no idea what to say to that. _Betty came back and messed with my head and possibly my whole life? I helped her cheat on her kind-of fiancé? I think I still love her?_ The whole situation was fucked up.

He ignores Archie's text until he can come up with a good response. He needs to find Betty and try to fix this.

 

 

 

He's not sure where she went last night when she left him but he hopes it wasn't out of town. They didn't even exchange numbers this weekend, so wrapped up in each other's presence, so he decides to ride to the only decent, mid-range hotel in Riverdale.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for a Betty Cooper, I think she might be staying here. Could be under Elizabeth."

The receptionist checks the hotel's system and smiles at him. "She's in room 104. I'll just call up to her room and let her know she has a visitor." She lifts the phone receiver to her ear. "What was your name?"

"Jughead Jones," he replies and he catches the weird look she gives him.

The phone call is short but he feels anxious, drumming his fingers against the lobby desk. The receptionist hangs up and turns to him with her best customer service smile.

"You can head right up. Third floor, then take a left."

"Thanks," he says before he's practically sprinting to the elevator.

She knows he's here and she's probably worrying herself sick about seeing him again. He wants to get there as quickly as possible.

The first thing she says when she opens the door is, "How did you find me?", and he swears he has deja vu.

"I took a chance," he says with a shrug. "I didn't know if you had stayed in Riverdale but I assumed you'd be here if you did." He rocks back onto his heels. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," she says and walks back into the room, leaving the door open behind her.

"Nice digs," he says, looking around the room.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Jug, please just tell me why you're here. Are you going to yell at me?"

"Nope. No yelling," he says and pushes her down to sit on the bed, then takes a seat next to her.

"Are you still mad at me?" she asks, her eyes focused on her lap.

"Yeah, I'm fucking mad," he admits. "But I'm trying not to be an asshole about this."

She looks up at him, her eyes already glassy with tears.

"You're not the first person to make a mistake, Betts. If you remember, I joined a motorcycle gang when I was seventeen."

He's trying to lighten the mood but she's not interested, intent on punishing herself.

"I've fucked everything up," she cries. "I hurt you and I've hurt myself, and I'm definitely going to hurt Aaron."

_Fuck._

"Are you going to say 'no', then?" he asks and he tries not to sound hopeful.

"Of course I am," she says and her tone suggests she thinks that should be obvious. "Even if I hadn't just spent a whole day in bed with another man, I can't marry him when I love _you_."

His chest feels tight at her admission and he wants to say the words back but he can't yet.

He sighs heavily. "I'm not going to lie to you - this is a shitty situation. I mean, fuck, Betty, I came _inside_ of you yesterday and you're with somebody else."

She visibly cringes at his words. "You're the only one... You're the only person I've ever been with - like _that_."

"Bareback?"

She wrinkles her nose. "Christ, Jug."

He scrubs his hand across his face. "You really had no intention of starting something between us?"

"I really didn't. You have to believe me," she says and grasps his hand. "I only wanted to talk to you, to finally stop clinging onto the memory of us."

"Well it was a great plan, Cooper. Worked like a charm," he jokes and that gets a little laugh out of her.

He squeezes her hand. "Betty, I have to tell you this now - I want to be with you." Her breath hitches at his words. "If there's any chance that you want to try this again - me and you, for real this time - then I want to try, too."

Her eyes are shiny and round when she asks, "Really?"

"Really." He tucks some of her hair behind her ear. "It turns out I've been in love with you for nine years now and you weren't even around for eight of them. I can't see those feelings going away anytime soon."

She gives him a watery smile and rests her hand on his knee. "Can I kiss you or would that be inappropriate?"

"I think that would be okay," he smiles and leans in to capture her lips with his.

It's short and sweet, far more innocent than anything that had passed between them the day before, but also full of promise.

She rests her forehead against his when she pulls away.

"I need to get my shit together," she states. "I need to break things off with Aaron and find a place of my own. And I also need to break the news to my mother," she says with a grimace.

"Mama Cooper approved?"

She smiles weakly. "Oh, yeah. Aaron's very all-American - everything she could hope for in a future son-in-law."

He raises his eyebrows at that. "Sounds like you have a type, Betts. First Archie, now Aaron. Guess I was the exception."

She smiles softly and rubs the back of his hand with her thumb. "You were always the exception, Juggie."

He's not going to kiss her again. He knows where that would lead and they need to talk things through before he leaves. But goddamn, he wants to.

"Are you going to tell him... about us?"

She shakes her head. "I'm already turning down his proposal and breaking up with him all in the same day. No need to add insult to injury."

"You're probably right," he agrees. "So how are we going to do this?"

"Well I need to go back to the city and fix my whole life," she says with a sardonic smile. "But we should keep in touch - email and texts and phone calls. And when everything is a little less messy I'll come and find you. Or you can find me. Either way."

He reaches up to cup her face in his hand and strokes her cheekbone. "That sounds like a good plan. Better than your others."

She slaps his chest at his teasing and then pulls him into a hug.

"I'm sorry that things went down the way they did," she says into his ear, her hot breath ghosting across his skin, "but I'm not sorry for coming to find you this weekend."

"I'm glad you did," he admits, his hands resting on the small of her back. "I think we might belong together, Betts."

She presses a kiss behind his ear and he shivers. "I think so, too."

The embrace lasts longer than necessary, neither of them wanting to pull away when they know they won't be able to touch each other for a little while.

He eventually pulls back and rises from the bed. "I'm gonna head home. Hot Dog needs a walk and he'll be getting antsy."

"Okay," she murmurs, looking close to crying again. "I still have your clothes."

"Keep 'em," he says. "They look better on you anyway."

She smiles at him, and even though she's teary-eyed and it doesn't quite meet her eyes, she's still so fucking beautiful.

How could he have ever thought that he would get over her?

He bends down and drops a quick kiss to her lips; chaste and over too soon.

"I'm gonna go." He walks over to the little desk in the room and scribbles his number onto a hotel notepad. "That's my number. Call me. I don't want to go another eight years without seeing you."

"Not going to happen," she promises and she's still smiling.

"I'll see you soon, Betts."

"See you soon, Juggie."

 

 

 

_She leaves her office building with an awful headache, thankful that she was leaving early. She had intended to use her afternoon to take a stroll around the city and collect her thoughts but now that she's out here, the city feels oppressive and unwelcoming._

_She needs to get out of here._

_She catches the subway back to her apartment and hops into her car. Despite Aaron's insistence that she should sell it -_ who needs a car in New York, Betty _\- she had kept it, feeling strangely attached to it._

_Now it was going to give her a few hours of freedom and she couldn't be happier that she hadn't sold it._

_She heads out of the city and onto the highway, determined to get away._

_She hadn't been expecting the proposal. Things hadn't been the best between her and Aaron recently - he worked a lot and she felt distant from him when he_ was _around. She's beginning to suspect that Aaron had noticed the strain and had asked her to marry him as a way to patch things up. Not exactly the romantic scenario she had dreamt about._

_She had asked him if she could have some time to think about it and he had reluctantly agreed. She had been honest about her feelings regarding them growing apart but she couldn't turn him down just because of that. They'd been together for two years and every couple went through rough patches. For all she knew, everything could be fine between them in a month._

_At least, that's what she was telling herself. Then she had spoken to Veronica about the proposal and her mixed feelings, and Veronica had asked if she could envision their life together in her head._

_She had said no._

_Because she really couldn't picture what life would be like with Aaron. Couldn't imagine marriage and babies and all of that stuff you're supposed to want with the man who's going to be your husband._

_There had only been one person she could imagine that life with, and while they may have been the foolish daydreams of a teenager, she couldn't dismiss them. Regardless of their age, her relationship and subsequent break up with Jughead was still one of the most profound things that had ever happened to her._

_But she was tired of clinging onto it._

_It was little comparisons that had built up over time. Whenever Aaron said something to piss her off she would find herself thinking,_ Jughead would never have said something like that to me _. And when he would struggle to comfort her when she was upset she would begrudge him for being unable to soothe her better than her teenage boyfriend had._

_It was messed up and she needed to stop._

_After speaking to Veronica, she had looked Jughead up on Facebook but he hadn't updated it in a while. She wondered what he was doing, if he was still in Riverdale._

_For two days she contemplated getting his number from Archie and calling him. She never did, but she did mention him in passing when she went to dinner with him and Veronica._

_"Do you talk to Jughead much these days?"_

_Archie's brow had furrowed at her question - she rarely asked about her ex-boyfriend, if ever._

_"Uh, yeah. I'm going to see him in a few weeks. We're going camping."_

_"In Riverdale?" she had asked, trying to subtly pry for information on his whereabouts._

_"Well we can't camp in the city, Betts," he joked._

_She had smiled at him but only to be polite. She was more focused on the fact that he was still there, in their hometown._

_"Where is he living these days?"_

_She knew her line of questioning was totally suspicious but she couldn't stop herself from asking._

_"FP's older trailer, I think. He's lived there since he turned eighteen."_

_"Oh, right."_

_That had been strangely disappointing. She had always imagined Jughead living in a little studio full of books and movie posters, not his dad's tiny trailer on the Sunnyside park._

_She didn't bring Jughead up again and if Archie thought she was acting weird he didn't mention it._

_Betty had pointedly ignored the shrewd look Veronica had given her across the table._

_That had been the day before. She had woken early the following morning, left Aaron in their bed without waking him to say goodbye like she usually would, and turned up to work earlier than expected._

_She asked her boss if she could finish early and she had agreed without asking her why. Betty was thankful - she didn't want to tell her boss about her relationship problems._

_And now she was driving and she knew where exactly she was going. If anyone asked, she'd say it was a subconscious choice, but her stomach had fluttered with anticipation when she passed the 'Welcome to New Jersey' sign._

_She had wanted closure for nine years and she hoped she was finally going to get it._

 

 

 

The first time she calls him is the day after he leaves her. It's early in the evening and she's tearful as she tells him she broke things off with Aaron.

"How did it go?"

"It wasn't great," she says with a sigh. "I didn't expect it to be but seeing his face after I broke his heart was really horrible."

He thinks about how she looked sat on her bed in her childhood bedroom, Vixens uniform still immaculate as tears streamed down her face. He knows that feeling all too well.

"It'll be okay, Betts. Things will get better. It just takes time," he assures her. "Do you have a place to stay?"

"I'm crashing with Archie and Veronica until I can find a place of my own," she answers. "My boss called, too. She wasn't happy about me calling in sick for the second day in a row."

"Shit. Will she give you a hard time?" he asks, worried.

"Probably. A heavier workload for the rest of the week, but I could use the distraction."

He almost slip up and ends the call with a causal, 'love you', but stops himself before the words leave his mouth.

That night he looks up online journalism courses. It had been a shared goal of theirs to enter the journalism field and even in a job she didn't particularly like, she was closer to realizing that dream than he ever was.

He applies to a few colleges but he doesn't tell Betty. He could be rejected by them all and that would be embarrassing to have to admit.

He goes about his usual routine - working at the shop, eating, hanging out at the bar, watching TV series, walking Hot Dog.

Before, he had been perfectly content with his life and the averageness of it all but then she had turned up on his doorstep, and he had found himself becoming dissatisfied with the mundanity.

They continue to talk over the following weeks. They occasionally FaceTime but that makes him miss her even more, so they usually stick to phone calls and texts. He considers initiating phone sex once or twice but he knows he hasn't got the confidence to pull it off.

When he receives his acceptance to the online journalism course at NYU, the first thing he wants to do is call her. It's early but she answers right away.

"That's amazing, Jug! I'm so proud of you," she says and he can hear the smile in her voice.

"Thanks," he says, feeling both proud and embarrassed.

"If only you were going to the actual school. Then we would be living in the same city."

She's right - they'd both be in New York if he wasn't doing his course online. They'd be in the same place and they would be able to fit themselves so easily into each other's lives. They could make a real go of it.

A plan begins to form in his head.

 

 

 

His dad's old truck has sat behind the trailer since Jughead had bought his bike. It's rusty and it definitely needs fixing up, but Jughead thinks it could still run if he worked on it.

He spends his days in the auto shop fixing vehicles for customers and his evenings behind his trailer fixing the truck for himself.

He sells the motorcycle for a good price to one of the Serpents and puts the money into his savings account. He's racked up quite a sum over the years - the result of having a simple lifestyle and a limited social life.

Betty calls him to tell him about the apartment she's found in the same neighborhood as Archie and Veronica, and the job interviews she has lined up the following week. She's so excited and he loves it.

"I'm actually getting my life together, Jug. I'm so happy. All I need is you beside me and everything will be perfect."

He knows how much she hates that word so he doesn't take the sentiment lightly. She really, actually wants to be with him and he physically aches to be close to her.

"It'll happen soon, Betty. I can't wait."

 

 

 

His words are more literal than he had intended. A week later and he has used the money from his bike to pay a month's rent upfront for an apartment in Brooklyn. He had found the place online - it's smaller than his trailer and costs twice as much but it's worth every penny.

When the truck is up and running he drops his keys off with the on-site maintenance man and loads up his belongings into the truck. The trailer is still theirs if his dad wants it when he gets out.

As he looks at the boxes stacked up in the car, he realizes he owns a pathetically small amount of stuff. At least moving was going to be easy.

"We'll miss you around here, Jug," his neighbor, Larry, tells him as Hot Dog jumps up onto the bench seat of the truck.

"I'll miss it, too. But it's time for me to go," he says, looking around Sunnyside one last time.

This is his home, the place where he grew up. The place where he fell in love and became a man and lost his father and cried harder than he ever has in his whole life. He'll carry the memories with him, both good and bad, but he needs to leave it behind.

"Plus, I've got a girl waiting for me," he adds with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah?" Larry says with a knowing smile.

He doesn't look back as he drives away.

 

 

 

He had called Veronica during his drive to city to ask for Betty's new address. She had practically swooned when he told her about his plan to surprise her and had given over the information willingly, begging him to give her the details of her reaction when he next saw her. He definitely isn't going to do that but he's sure Betty will.

He picks up his new keys from his landlord and carries the few boxes in his truck up to his new home. Hot Dog settles in immediately, finding a spot beneath the window to take a nap while Jughead makes multiple trips to the car.

He's picking the U-Haul up the following day with his couch and his bed so the studio looks sadly empty when he shuts the door and locks up. He hopes his surprise goes according to plan and he can crash with Betty for the night.

His reasons are purely practical, of course, and have nothing to do with him wanting to wake up next to her.

It's a little after six when he arrives at her building and he knows she'll be home from work. One of the other tenants leaves the building and he slips through the door, glad that he didn't have to ring the buzzer. It would have ruined the dramatic flair he was going for.

He climbs the stairs to her floor, Hot Dog trailing behind on his leash, and knocks when he reaches her door.

Her mouth drops open when she sees him.

"Jug? Oh my God!"

She throws her arms around his neck and he stumbles back slightly as he catches her around the waist. She's solid and warm against him, and she smells so good and familiar that he squeezes her a little.

"Hey, Betts."

Hot Dog barks below them and she pulls away to crouch down and pet the dog.

"Hey, boy! I've missed you."

The dog nuzzles against her. She's definitely his favorite person.

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" she asks when she rises again, taking his hand in hers.

"Um, I live here now," he explains with a shaky smile, feeling unsure of himself now that he's in front of her. "I left Riverdale and decided to rent an apartment in the city."

Her shock quickly morphs into pure happiness and the biggest smile crosses her face, before she cups his face in her hands and leans in to kiss him.

It had been a month since that Monday in her hotel room and that's too fucking long to spend not kissing her. He melts into the kiss, his hands spanning across her back to pull her closer.

She tastes like strawberries and everything he's ever wanted.

She pulls back, her green eyes shiny with emotion, and strokes his cheekbones with her thumbs.

"I'm so happy you're here."

"Me, too. I missed you." He pecks her lips and then nods towards her open door. "Are you going to invite me in, or..."

She smirks at him and slips her fingers through his.

"Come on in, Juggie."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so for anyone who followed me on tumblr, i kind of messed it up. but it's all fixed now - i have a new one, still @ sopaloma. the old tumblr is called sopaloma2 so please unfollow!
> 
> thanks for reading! ❤️


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